TV Host, Cartoonist, Artist, Youth Director . . . there isn’t nothing this guy can’t do.
I had to take a double take when I read this;
The Visual Arts Center in Sioux Falls will have a new leader starting next month.
The Washington Pavilion announced Thursday that Jason Folkerts has accepted the position and will start on August 2.
Before joining the staff at the Washington Pavilion, Folkerts graduated from the University of Sioux Falls and worked as a youth pastor for 12 years. He is also a full-time artist and owns his own business that specializes in murals, cartooning, and live art.
Folkerts used to be the editorial cartoonist for the Argus Leader. He was relieved of his duties after a couple of local cartoonists made the newspaper aware that he may have plagiarized a Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist. But the AL just couldn’t get enough of Jason’s work so they brought him back, until he was suspected a second time of plagiarizing another international cartoonist (who ironically was the president of an anti-plagiarizing organization). The AL relieved him permanently after that. (You can read all of Jason’s comments about the incident HERE in the comments section of this blog post).
Besides his lack of integrity when it comes to other artists creative property, what baffles me even more is that the Pavilion would hire an individual that doesn’t even have a degree in art, art management, etc. Heck, he doesn’t even have a degree in regular management or business, he is a youth pastor with a seminary degree.
Running a Visual Arts Center isn’t like running summer Bible Camp folks.
I have been told though that the qualifications for the position have been drastically changed since the last director left (it was also changed a little before she took the job).
The Pavilion management and board are apparently losing their freaking minds. There needs to be a National search for an ACTUAL art director with the experience to run such an important division of the Pavilion.